Russia to discuss Ukraine’s missile drills near Crimea with ICAO

Ukrainian army held missile firing drills over the Black Sea near Crimea last December

ROSTOV-ON-DON, May 19. /TASS/. Russia’s Transport Ministry and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will hold negotiations at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Ukraine’s missile firing drills near Crimea, Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said on Friday.

"Indeed, we are interacting with our international organization [ICAO] and within the framework of the St. Petersburg Economic Forum ICAO Executive Director Mrs. Fang Liu will take part and we will continue negotiations with her, including on this issue," the transport minister said in reply to a question about whether Russia would insist that the ICAO should take measures against Ukraine after the ex-Soviet republic had held missile firing drills near Crimea.

The Russian transport minister said in December 2016 that Russia had taken all necessary counter-measures and he had sent a letter to the ICAO president on the situation with Ukraine’s plans to hold firing drills in the airspace near Crimea.

The Ukrainian army held missile firing drills over the Black Sea near Crimea on December 1. The Ukrainian army initially planned drills in Russia’s sovereign airspace but later Ukraine adjusted the firing trajectory west of the Black Sea peninsula. In response, Russia took all necessary measures in the wake of Ukraine’s plans to hold firing drills in the airspace near Crimea.

In January 2017, Ukrainian air defense units held drills using imitation targets in the Kherson Region bordering on Crimea.